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Hugh Jackman and AFL Players Speak Out Against WA Remote Community Closures

Hugh Jackman and AFL Players Speak Out Against WA Remote Community Closures

By Kate Hassett |
March 20, 2015

Hugh Jackman and AFL Players Speak Out Against WA Remote Community Closures

Hugh Jackman speaks out against the forced closure of over 150 remote Indigenous communities.

Hugh Jackman and AFL Players Speak Out Against WA Remote Community Closures

Hugh Jackman has responded to a call to arms from the Indigenous Kennedy Hill community, petitioning for his support to fight against the forced closure of more than 150 remote indigenous communities in Western Australia.

The Western Australian Government plans to close up to 150 of the state’s more than 270 remote communities.

Jackman showed his support for the cause in response to an unidentified note, posted at a local shopping centre in Crossing, WA, that implored Jackman to recall his time living in a remote community, and how the actor has once said that the “connection to land is a fundamental part of the indigenous identity.”

This strong message of solidarity and support has been echoed by hundreds of thousands more with the hash tags #sosblakaustralia and #NOconsent popping up on social media.

Indigenous AFL players have also hit social media today, with players such as Shaun Burgoyne, Cyril Rioli, Brad Hill, Neville Jetta and Jay Kennedy-Harris, responding to the Western Australian governments move to cut off funding, disabling essential services in remote communities.